Stress, Part 4: Mitigating the Effects

Since the majority of us fall under the, "not-horribly-stressed-all-the-time," aka, Sympathetic hyper-stimulation Syndrome category, there are things that we can do to help our bodies cope with the stresses of everyday life.  Here are some tips that we give our patients who are interested in living a calmer and healthier life.

1.  You have to develop and stick to a routine.
     Routine is something we all need, whether adults or children.  I know this sounds simple; it's the implementation that can be difficult.  Routine helps maintain the circadian rhythm in our body.  If, for example, you get up at 7 o'clock each work morning and, then, go to bed late and get up late on the weekends, you have disrupted your circadian rhythm.  This will affect every system in your body and is a major contributing factor to sleep problems.

2.  Make sure your family has at least one meal a day, together, in a peaceful atmosphere.
     Studies have shown the importance of family meal time.  It's not only a time to eat a healthy meal, it's also a time in which everyone can connect.

3.  Eat with intention
     This means that you don't eat while distracted:  in front of the TV, on the run, while driving or at your office desk.  It takes the brain 20 minutes from the time you begin to eat until it registers that you are eating.  Eat slowly, enjoy your food (and, maybe the company) and savor what you eat.  Believe it or not, studies show that you'll eat less if you eat with intention.

4.  Do not eat inflammatory foods
     Like it or not, all fast foods are inflammatory, period.  They are high in bad fats, salt and sugar (remember, simple carbs like bread, french fries and pizza crust are pure sugar).  Too much animal protein, especially red meat, is inflammatory.  Imbalanced acid/base eating is the most inflammatory problem we see.  Caffeine, sugar, gluten, dairy, sodas, peanuts and pork all can cause systemic toxicity.

If you implement and follow these four steps, you will be well on your way to a less stressful life and, even more importantly, when you are faced with stressful situations, you just may find that you're better equipped to handle them.  There are also some basic supplements that I recommend that will help your body to heal from the past effects of stress and help maintain your homeostasis.  Anyone interested is welcome to contact me.  I'm here to help.
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